TOPIC: WAR AGAINST DESTROYERS OF JOY
BASIC SCRIPTURES: JOB 3: 1-11;
3 After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.
2 And Job spake, and said,
3 Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.
4 Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.
5 Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.
6 As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months.
7 Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein.
8 Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning.
9 Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the day:
10 Because it shut not up the doors of my mother’s womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes.
11 Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?
ISAAH 61: 1-3
61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
Our Daily Manna ODM 10 November 2021 Manna Online
Welcome to today’s encounter with the Father of the spirits of all flesh. Far away in Edo State, South-South Nigeria, a young man and lady fell in love. Their love for each other metamorphosed into a dream to have a memorable wedding.
Both families met, several meetings were held, a wedding date was fixed and the usual traditional marriage ceremony was done. It was one wedding that families, friends and acquaintances had vowed to witness. Some of those who determined to be at the wedding put resources together and hired a bus to take them to the ceremony. Then persons were in the bus. As they headed for the wedding ceremony, the unexpected happened; there was a tragic accident. Nine of the ten persons that were bound for the wedding lost their lives. The news filtered into town, and finally while the reception was going on, the couple and other guests at the wedding heard the news. Oh, what bad news to hear on a wedding day! The reception was cut short abruptly and all guests abandoned the cerenony.
That day that was supposed to be their greatest day of joy was destroyed by the bad news of a tragic accident. That event made me remember something close to it that happened in Lagos Island, in Lagos State, South West Nigeria. It was another wedding reparation. The couple were having Their bachelor’s eve. This was 2 days to the final wedding ceremony. he 32 year-old groom decided to make a quick dash to his uncle’s house to pick the car he would use for the wedding. A friend took him there. After picking the car, his friend drove behind him. As they entered the expressway (freeway), Iittle did he know that some robbers had spotted him with the exotic car. They apprehended him, snuffed life out of him and took away the car. That brought to an end to his dream for a great future home. The distraught mother and bride became inconsolable on a day that should have been their greatest day of joy.
There are endless and untold stories of many whose happy days/hours have been spoilt by one form of tragedy or the other. These are destroyers of joy. Today’s word gives us some of the words that came out of the mouth of brother Job after tragedy befell him and took away his joy. Our Daily Manna ODM 10 He lost all his properties, children and health to natural disasters, marauding enemies and sickness because satan was at work. He cursed the day he was born. Without doubt, death, sickness, natural disasters, accident, barreness, stagnation, joblessness and fruitless efforts are all enemies of joy.
The story however, does not end there. From the account in Isaiah 61, Jesus gives beauty for ashes; He replaces mourning with the oil of joy and the garment of praise takes the place of the spirit of heaviness. That is why you must wage war against every destroyer of joy. Joy comes in various degrees, It can be ordinary Joy, fullness of joy, exceeding joy, everlasting joy and even joy coupled with gladness (Psalm 16:11; 43:4; Isaiah 35:10).
I pray today that you will not just have joy alone, but exceeding and everlasting joy in Jesus name. Rise up today wage war against destroyers of joy. Terminate them betore they steal away your joy. Our Daily Manna ODM 10 November 2021 Manna Online – WAR AGAINST DESTROYERS OF JOY
Take Song 2: Stand up for Jesus.
1 Stand up, stand up for Jesus
ye soldiers of the cross;
lift high his royal banner,
it must not suffer loss:
from vict’ry unto vict’ry
his army he shall lead,
’til ev’ry foe is vanquished,
and Christ is Lord indeed.
2 Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
the trumpet call obey;
forth to the mighty conflict
in this his glorious day:
ye that are men now serve him
against unnumbered foes;
let courage rise with danger,
and strength to strength oppose.
3 Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
stand in his strength alone;
the arm of flesh will fail you,
ye dare not trust your own:
put on the gospel armor,
each piece put on with pray’r;
where duty calls, or danger,
be never wanting there.
4 Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
the strife will not be long;
this day the noise of battle,
the next the victor’s song:
to him that overcometh
a crown of life shall be;
he with the King of glory
shall reign eternally.
ODM PRAYER POINTS
Pray seriously on any personal lesson learnt today.
I frustrate and destroy every spiritual robber targeting my joy in Jesus name.
Our Daily Manna ODM 10 November 2021 Manna Online – WAR AGAINST DESTROYERS OF JOY
